Playing Assault on Absalom
Pathfinder Society Special #9–00: Assault on Absalom is an interactive event in which many tables contribute to a shared success. This allows both Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild and Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild players to participate in the same adventure! An Overseer GM coordinates the event, making announcements and tallying reported results over the course of the adventure. It’s important that everyone pause play and listen when the Overseer GM makes announcements. When the table completes an objective in scenario 9-00A or wins Scenarios 9–00B, C2, or D, your Box Runner will report a success to the Overseer GM. Do not report a success for Scenario 9–00C1.
The event has three parts. In Part 1, event organizers are mustering tables, and players are being seated, unpacking dice, and introducing themselves. During this time, decide what character you are playing, and decide as a group whether you would like to begin the event by playing Scenario 9–00A (a scenario that focuses more on consolidating Absalom’s resources and recruiting help) or Scenario 9–00B (a more combat-heavy scenario). You will play each at least once, so where you begin is a matter of group preference. Whichever you choose, set up the scenario and read the opening text aloud. Don’t begin playing until the Overseer GM cues the start of Part 2 by reading out the opening scene (listen for the Overseer GM as Marcos Farabellus calling for the Pathfinders to “Seek out the leaders for instructions, and make the city proud”).
After you complete either Scenario 9–00A or 9–00B, set up and play the other scenario, alternating which scenario you play each time. Continue to build and play until the Overseer GM begins Part 3. When the Overseer GM calls an end to Part 2, immediately end the current scenario. You did not win or lose, and do not earn the scenario reward, but players can upgrade their decks. Then begin setting up Scenario 9-00C, which has two sections (C1 and C2). Don’t begin playing until the Overseer GM announces the start of Part 3. If you win Scenario 9–00C2, you may play it again and continue reporting successes.
Finally, when the Overseer GM announces the final transition, end the current scenario (you did not win or lose, as above). Set up and play Scenario 9–00D. If you win this scenario, repeat it and continue reporting successes until the end of the adventure.
DURING THIS ADVENTURE
At the start of this adventure, choose whether you wish to count the adventure for purposes of tier advancement. If you choose not to count this adventure as tier advancement, you do not gain feats as provided in the Guide, but you do gain scenario rewards and deck upgrades as normal.
This adventure does not use traders.
Do not read any scenario’s villains or henchmen before playing it.
If you are dead at the end of a scenario, you may play another character for the next scenario.
If you fail a scenario, immediately replay it.
When playing this adventure in Tier 2, the scourge die is 1d6; in Tier 5, the scourge die is 1d8+1.
Any character may bury a card that has the Healing trait, an ally, or a blessing to give a displayed or buried Reinforcements support card to another Pathfinder Adventure Card Guild table that does not have one displayed or buried.
NEW RULE: REINFORCEMENTS
This event introduces a new type of support card: reinforcements. The Overseer GM will randomly choose one-third of the Adventure Card Guild tables (rounded up) and give them the support card Reinforcements. When a table gets this card, display it next to the scenario. While displayed, the card’s powers are in effect for characters at that table.
NEW RULE: FAVORS
This event introduces a new type of support card: favors. Certain scenarios place favors into the blessings deck. When that card is discarded from the blessings deck, do what it says. Afterward, if it would be removed from the blessings deck discard pile, banish it instead.
ANNOUNCED CONDITIONS
During the adventure, the Overseer GM will announce numerous conditions that affect all characters. If a character is encountering a card at that time, the condition occurs after the encounter. If a character is attempting a check outside of an encounter, the condition occurs after the check.
RULES: SHIPS AND PLUNDER
This event uses a simplified variation of the ship and plunder rules from Skull & Shackles. Ignore any references to commanding or seizing ships.
Even though a ship is neither a bane nor a boon, encountering a ship is much like encountering a bane. First apply any effects that happen when you encounter a ship. Then, if you don’t evade it, you must attempt a check to defeat it. If you succeed at all of the checks required to defeat a ship, stash a plunder card (see below). If you fail a check to defeat a ship, it deals an amount of Structural damage equal to the difference between the difficulty to defeat the ship and your check result. Characters may play cards or use powers that reduce Structural damage (effects that reduce damage to characters do not reduce Structural damage), then characters must collectively discard from the tops of their decks a total number of cards equal to the remaining Structural damage.
When you are instructed to stash or add a plunder card, roll 1d6 on the table below and draw a card of the corresponding type from the game box.
1: Weapon 2: Spell 3: Armor 4: Item 5: Ally 6: Blessing
